Trump: National Guard Will Be Sent to New Orleans

President Trump said Tuesday that National Guard troops will soon head to New Orleans and bring another federal surge to the city that is already awaiting a separate immigration crackdown dubbed "Swamp Sweep" that is expected to begin this week, the AP reports. Trump did not say how many troops would be sent to New Orleans or exactly when they would arrive. Republican Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, who asked the Trump administration in September for up to 1,000 troops to fight crime, told reporters Monday that he expected the Guard to arrive in New Orleans before Christmas. "Gov. Landry—a great guy, a great governor—he's asked for help in New Orleans. And we're going to go there in a couple of weeks," Trump said during a Cabinet meeting at the White House.

Landry, a staunch Trump ally, has said he welcomes federal intervention in Democratic-run New Orleans, citing concerns about elevated violent crime rates even though local police officials say crime is down. Separately, Landry posted on social media this week that "We Welcome the Swamp Sweep in Louisiana," referring to the Border Patrol-led operation that aims to arrest 5,000 people over the coming weeks. Opponents argue that deployment of federal troops or agents in Louisiana is unwarranted, especially as some cities have actually seen a decrease in violent crime rates—namely New Orleans, which is on pace to have one of its safest years, statistically, since the 1970s.

In September, Landry requested federally funded National Guard troops be sent to Louisiana. In a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Landry said there have been "elevated violent crime rates" in New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Shreveport along with shortages in law enforcement personnel. New Orleans Mayor-elect Helena Moreno, a Democrat who takes office in January, has firmly rejected the idea of a National Guard deployment in the blue city and has expressed concern that a federal immigration enforcement surge will lead to rights violations. She did not provide comment on the impending deployment.